Pfizer Inc. said it's buying a stake in a French gene company in a deal that could be worth up to $636 million. The New York drug company (NYSE: PFE) said it's paying $51 million upfront to acquire a 15 percent stake in Vivet Therapeutics of Paris. Vivet is working on a drug — VTX-801 — to treat Wilson disease, which is a rare and possibly fatal condition in which excess copper collects in the body's liver and other organs, perhaps to life-threatening levels.

Not a day goes by that healthcare costs aren't being discussed across each corner of media. With the 2020 election now underway, politicos are ratcheting up the rhetoric over healthcare costs and the political ads are already spinning the topic. And all of this is for good reason. Healthcare costs in the U.S. are high and rapidly rising, especially if you're of retirement age. According to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) -- healthcare spending increased in 2017 by 3.90% to $3.9 trillion or $10,739 per person. This represents 17.90% of the then gross domestic product of the U.S. (GDP). In fact, in a recently published book, More than Medicine: The Broken Promise of American Health by Bob Kaplan, he argues that the U.S. pays way more than its mature economic peers.For example, the U.S. pays 18% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on healthcare whereas the European Union (E.U.) only pays 10% of its combined GDP. And, to make it worse, the U.S. has a lower life expectancy than many nations around the globe. Add in a high poverty rate, which can lead to further health challenges for young and old and other factors showing health troubles, including infant mortality, and the nation doesn't look too healthy. American healthcare may well get even more expensive, as the U.S. ages and becomes less healthy by the day. This isn't a good mix for one of the leading economies of the planet.In a recent study by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Census, by 2035, it is projected that 78 million folks will be 65 years or older. That same year, those at or under the age of 18 years will number just 76 million. America is becoming a nation of the elderly -- a significant change in the demographics of a nation traditionally known for its healthy and able folks. It's a shift that leaves many wondering where our economic productivity gains will come from. And, as we know, the elderly population requires the most attentive healthcare … no wonder healthcare spending is climbing.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * 10 Stocks on the Rise Heading Into the Second Quarter While this sounds bleak, there is a silver lining here for us as investors. And no, I'm not suggesting that we look at gym companies (although I am poking around at that market with some innovations that I'll be writing about in Profitable Investing in the near future). Rather, I'm suggesting that investing in healthcare stocks that pay dividends is a smart source for capital gains … WP Carey Click to Enlarge Source: Bloomberg One healthcare stock, in particular, comes to mind … I'm referring to WP Carey (NYSE:WPC), which I've written about extensively for InvestorPlace.WP Carey is a REIT, which since coming to the public market, has generated a return of 1,348.28% for an average annual equivalent return of 13.46%. That's not too shabby any way you cut it. The business itself is a curious one: WP Carey doesn't operate its properties, and it doesn't pay for maintenance, insurance, or taxes. Instead, it executes "triple net leases." This means that it locks up long-term cashflows with less risk in rising costs for the properties and the vagrancies of tax rates.Its tenants pay for all of that, thus WP Carey profits from other peoples' money.In the healthcare market, there is a specific equivalent in the following security. Well, this next security is technically a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and acquires healthcare facilities including inpatient and outpatient facilities as well as surgical centers and specialty healthcare facilities. Their properties amount to more than 120 properties in 25 states as well as some newer innovative investments in Germany. Scroll down to discover what it is … Medical Properties Trust (MPW) Click to Enlarge Source: Bloomberg Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) has properties that are leased on a net basis to operators that run the facilities and pay rent month after month for years. The portfolio has expanded dramatically over the recent year with only a small pause in the past year. But it continues to look to expand its portfolio with the right properties in an ever-expanding market.Revenues are climbing with gains running at over 11.30% in just the trailing year. And the funds from operations (FFO) which measures just the return rate from the cashflows from the property portfolio is ample at 11.60%, which is impressive for the REIT space. This contributes to an impressive return on its assets at 11.40% and is what delivers for shareholders with a return on equity of 24.30%.And the stock continues to reflect its performance as a company. Over the past ten years, the stock has delivered a total return of 994.12% for an average annual equivalent of 26.79%. It is a disciplined company when it comes to debt and leverage as its debt to capital is at only 47.00%. This provides the ability to easily service its current debts and provides eased access for credit to fund additional acquisitions. Valued at only 1.49 times its book value, MPW is a steal from a price-book (P/B) perspective. This ratio has climbed significantly over the trailing year, from 1.14 times back in October 2018.But it isn't just the P/B ratio that's rising, but the actual value of the assets. Over the past five years alone, the underlying book value per share has gone from $7.98 to a current $12.27, which represents an impressive gain of 53.76%. This is important as it shows genuine growth in the underlying company and not just the stock price. The dividend is currently at 25 cents per share and has been climbing in distribution by an average annual rate of 4.30% over the past five years. This equates to a current yield of 5.48%. * Top 7 Service Sector Stocks That Will Pay You to Own Them Medical Properties Trust makes for a great buy in the healthcare market (which should be purchased in a taxable account). This is due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) which provides a tax deduction of 20% of the dividend distribution for U.S. individual investors making the taxable equivalent yield even higher. Other Stocks to Play HealthcareInside the Profitable Investing model portfolios, I have the overall market for healthcare synthetically invested in the Vanguard Healthcare ETF (NYSEARCA:VHT), which remains a buy in a tax-free account. Then, in my Incredible Dividend Machine portfolio inside Profitable Investing, I have three more plays on healthcare …I have the drugmaker Merck (NYSE:MRK), which continues to perform for shareholders. And I have another drugmaker in Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), which follows the success of Merck. Further, I also have Ventas (NYSE:VTR), which as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns a series of senior healthcare and related housing care facilities. VTR is doing quite well with the general REIT sector as we move further into 2019.One of the smartest investment lessons that I learned, from one of my best stocks within Profitable Investing, is to capitalize when the opportunity arises. That is, take risks while you lock in revenues! And the aforementioned stocks should continue to position themselves into the thick of the rising healthcare spending market while paying out an ample and rising dividend.Neil George is the editor of Profitable Investing and does not have any holdings in the securities mentioned above. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 7 Invincible Stocks Leading The Bull Market Higher * 5 Dow Jones Stocks Coming to Life * 7 of the Best High-Yield Funds for 2019 and Beyond Compare Brokers The post Invest in America's Rising Healthcare Costs With These Stocks appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Pfizer has paid Vivet about $51 million upfront and may pay up to $635.8 million in clinical, regulatory milestone payments and to exercise the option to buy the whole company. Pfizer already has collaboration agreements with gene therapy companies including Spark Therapeutics and Sangamo Therapeutics to target conditions like hemophilia and certain neurodegenerative disorders.

were falling slightly in trading after the drugmaker announced it has agreed to pay up to $636 million for the rights to a portfolio of gene therapies under development at French company Vivet Therapeutics. Pfizer acquired a 15% equity interest in Vivet up front for $51 million and secured an exclusive option to acquire all of the private company's outstanding shares. The two companies will collaborate on Vivet's propriety treatment for the chronic, life-threatening liver disorder Wilson disease.

Inc. has agreed to pay up to €560 million ($636 million) for the rights to gene therapies under development at French company Vivet Therapeutics, as it seeks to build its pipeline in this cutting-edge treatment. The U.S. drugmaker said Wednesday it had paid €45 million upfront for a 15% stake in Vivet. Further payments, which include the potential acquisition of Vivet, are dependent on the progress of the French company’s experimental therapies.

Pfizer Inc. said Wednesday it has paid 45 million euro, or the equivalent of $51 million to acquire a 15% equity stake in privately held gene therapy company Vivet Therapeutics, and has acquired an option to buy the rest of Vivet shares for EUR560 million ($635.8 million). Pfizer's stock rose 0.2% in premarket trade. Pfizer and Vivet will collaborate on developing VTX-801, Vivet's treatment for Wilson disease, a life-threatening liver disorder of impaired copper transport. Under terms of the deal, Pfizer can exercise its option to buy 100% of Vivet after the company's delivery of certain data from the phase 1/2 trial for VTX-801. Monika Vnuk, vice president of worldwide business development at Pfizer, will join Vivet's board of directors. Pfizer's stock has gained 16.4% over the past 12 months through Tuesday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has tacked on 4.7%.

Vivet Therapeutics (“Vivet”), a privately held gene therapy biotech company dedicated to developing gene therapy treatments for inherited liver disorders with high unmet medical need, and Pfizer Inc. (PFE) announced today that Pfizer has acquired a 15% equity interest in Vivet and secured an exclusive option to acquire all outstanding shares. Pfizer and Vivet will collaborate on the development of VTX-801, Vivet’s proprietary treatment for Wilson disease.

Earlier this week , we looked at the top 10 dividend-yielding stocks among our Ultimate Stock Pickers, a collection of managers whose stock-picking prowess we admire. A subset of the Morningstar US Market Index (which represents 97% of equity market capitalization), this index tracks the top 75 high-yielding stocks that meet our screening requirements for quality and financial health. How are the index constituents chosen?

DARMSTADT, Germany and NEW YORK , March 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Not intended for UK-based media Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany , which operates its biopharmaceutical business as EMD Serono in the US and ...

How Major Pharmaceutical Stocks Are Positioned This MonthAnalysts’ recommendations and target price Wall Street analysts expect a potential upside of 5.57% for Pfizer (PFE) based on the company’s closing price on March 18. In 2019, analysts have

Today, I'd like to discuss the outlook for AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV), the $116-billion-market-cap biopharmaceutical stock, whose shares have been in a downtrend for almost a year and have especially been hammered following its earning report of Jan. 25.Source: Shutterstock * Top 7 Service Sector Stocks That Will Pay You to Own Them There could be further price volatility and weakness in the ABBV stock price in the coming weeks, pushing it toward the low-$70's or even mid-$60's level. However, it is a company with robust growth prospects and respectable dividends that may deserve a place in a diversified portfolio.Therefore, if you already own AbbVie shares, you might want to hold your position. That said, within the parameters of your portfolio allocation and risk/return profile, you may consider placing a stop loss at about 5-7% below the current price point. Expect nearer-term trading to be choppy at best.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsIf you are an experienced investor in the options market, you may want to protect your portfolio with a covered call or possibly a put option spread with a 3-month time horizon. If you do not yet hold ABBV, you may want to wait several weeks to buy into the stock at the next dip.With all of that in mind, here's a deeper look into at AbbVie stock. A Hiccup in the Robust Fundamental StoryIn 2013, Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) spun off its research-based pharmaceuticals business, creating AbbVie, an independent biopharmaceutical company. Abbott decided to retain the branded generic pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medical devices and nutrition.Meanwhile, AbbVie took control of the development and commercialization of a range of brands, including Humira, its flagship drug used to treat autoimmune diseases, Imbruvica, which differentiates between cancer cells and regular cells, and Synthroid, a replacement for a hormone normally produced by the thyroid gland.The company's financials and growth metrics over the past five years have been impressive and ABBV was in a strong financial position heading into 2019, with hopes of a higher share price during the first quarter.However, in January, AbbVie's fourth-quarter earnings release weighed heavily on the stock. For starters, the company missed the consensus on revenue. Its earnings per share of $1.90 was below the expected number of $1.94. The next day, the stock fell by 6% and that decline has intensified over the past two months.ABBV's quarterly report also showed that the international sales of Humira fell by almost 15% year over year, mostly as a result of 'biosimilar' competition in Europe, which makes up three-quarters of the overseas Humira business. In October 2018, its patent in the European Union (E.U) expired.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refers to biosimilars as "highly similar to an FDA-approved biological product … [that has] no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety and effectiveness." Although Wall Street had already known about this sales decline in Europe, when coupled with the other question marks in the earnings report, it was enough to increase the selling pressure on the stock.It is also possible that investors got worried about the potential fall in Humira revenue when the drug comes off patent in 2023 in the U.S. It is important to emphasize that AbbVie's revenue from the drug will not decline to nothing when the biosimilars hit the market in 2023. What will most likely happen is that as the company's pricing power decreases, the revenue will also gradually decline.Therefore, many analysts feel that ABBV shares offer value and that any bad news that is specific to Humira is already baked into the stock price. Value PlayWhen markets penalize biopharma stocks, it can take some time for them to recover. However, for patient long-term investors, the returns can be significant -- especially when the company boasts several other current drugs, as well promising ones in the pipeline.At present, AbbVie's other major products include: * AndroGel, a testosterone replacement therapy. * Creon, a pancreatic enzyme therapy to treat exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. * Duopa and Duodopa, gels to treat Parkinson's disease. * Viekira Pak, which treats chronic hepatitis C. * Zinbryta, to treat multiple sclerosis.Analysts are also expecting a slew of new products in 2020, such as next-generation immunology drugs. These drugs and others that are being developed and commercialized, highlight how impressive the potential growth story could be in the next few years.ABBV trades at a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 21. This number is rather modest when compared with the P/E ratios of several competitors, including AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) with a P/E of 49.9, Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) with a P/E of 25.2, and Merck (NYSE:MRK) with a P/E of 34.8. Reinvesting the Sweet Dividend Yield of ABBV stockIncome investors know that they can compound their returns through reinvesting dividends from high-yielding shares. AbbVie also offers investors a healthy dividend yield of about 5.4%, another reason why I believe the stock belongs in a capital-growth portfolio.Since its spin-off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013, ABBV has increased dividends every year -- a trend that is likely to continue. The next dividend payment is scheduled for May 15, 2019, with an ex-dividend date of April 12.It would not be wrong to call AbbVie a cashflow machine; as of Dec. 31, the company had a free cash flow of $3.27 billion. This strength not only gives shareholders conviction that the dividends are safe, but also provides the company with enough flexibility to, for example, make acquisitions to offset any further Humira revenue decline (especially in the U.S. when the drug comes off patent in 2023). The Bottom Line on AbbVie StockLike most biopharma stocks, AbbVie is a high-momentum stock. In other words, when the broader markets go up or when the company's earnings beat expectations, both investors and momentum traders tend to hit the "buy" button fast, expecting superior gains within days or weeks.However, if markets suffer a decline or if the company cannot keep up with the rising expectations, investors' risk appetite decreases fast and these stocks can fall much harder than less volatile stocks. * 7 Financial Stocks to Invest In Today The market has punished Abbvie stock since the start of the year. The stock may continue to struggle through much of 2019. However, patient ABBV bulls will probably be proven right to believe in the management's commitment to create shareholder value and to further grow the company both organically and through acquisitions. In the meantime, they can continue to collect high dividends.As of this writing, Tezcan Gecgil did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 7 Financial Stocks to Invest In Today * 7 Single-Digit P/E Stocks With Massive Upside * 5 Chip Stocks on the Rise Compare Brokers The post Why You Should Buy ABBV Stock for Income and Value appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Pfizer Inc. invites investors and the general public to view and listen to a webcast of a conference call with investment analysts at 10 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The purpose of the call is to provide an update on Pfizer’s results, as reflected in the company’s First Quarter 2019 Performance Report, to be issued that morning. To view and listen to the webcast and view the Performance Report, visit our web site at www.pfizer.com/investors.